Potato production in northwestern European countries drops by 6% and less area is expected in 2023

Potato production in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium will drop by 6% this year compared to 2021, standing at 22.1 million tons, according to the Northwest European Potato Producers Association (NEPG), which brings together professionals from these four countries. They also warn of a probable decrease in the area in 2023 due to high production costs and the foreseeable substitution by crops with better prices such as cereals. After its last meeting held on November 9, the NEPG has estimated that production in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium will go from 22.5 million tons in 2021 to 21.1 million in 2022 with a decline of 6%. These data also represent a decline of 6% compared to the average production of the last five years, which has stood at 22.6 million tons. By country, the production of Germany, France and Belgium decreases, except for the Netherlands, which registers a strong growth of 13% in 2022 compared to 2021, totaling 3.8 million tons. Germany's ...